ROBIN JACQUES PAPERS

de Grummond Children's Literature Collection
The University of Southern Mississippi

Creator:

Robin Jacques

Title:

Robin Jacques Papers

Dates:

1957-1972

Quantity:

1.2 cubic feet (3 boxes)

Identification:

DG0505

Abstract:

Robin Jacques was a prolific illustrator of children's books, known for his black & white illustration technique particularly of witches, sorcerers, trolls, and monsters. The Robin Jacques Papers contain illustrations, dust jacket paste-ups, and printed material created and accumulated by Jacques between 1957 and 1972.

Robin Jacques (rhymes with 'cakes') was born in 1920 in London, England to Robin and Mary (Thorn) Jacques. He developed an interest in drawing as a young adult, although he never received any formal art training. He began his art career working in design and advertising until the outbreak of World War II. Jacques fought for the Royal Artillery during the war, and in the post-war years, he illustrated books for a children's book publisher whom he met in the service. He took a position as art editor for Strand Magazine in 1949 and began free-lance illustration work when the magazine folded a few years later. In an almost forty-year career, Jacques illustrated more than one hundred books for children and adults, including the "A Book of" series by Ruth Manning-Sanders, and multiple works of classic literature. Jacques illustrated in black and white, and remarked that his most satisfying work came from the imaginative process of drawing monsters, ogres, dragons, trolls, and sorcerers for fables.

The Robin Jacques Papers contain illustrations, color separations, dust jacket paste-ups, and printed material created and accumulated by Jacques between 1957 and 1972. Jacques's papers were created from his production of illustrations for 60 published books, 10 stories in an anthology series, four unverified books, and a Christmas card. The material is organized into four series: books, anthology series, unverified books, and Christmas card.

The Books Series contains illustrations, color separations, dust jackets, and dust jacket production material for sixty books published between 1957 and 1971. They are arranged alphabetically by title and the material for each book is arranged chronologically in order of creation when known. The majority of the material is dust jacket production material for two Doubleday imprints: Doubleday Anchor Books and Doubleday Dolphin Books. These imprints consisted of reissues of literary classics produced probably beginning in the early 1960s, although an exact publication date is unknown for several titles. Jacques's job title for Anchor Books was 'cover designer,' while for the Dolphin imprint he was identified as the 'cover illustrator,' with cover designs made by George Giusti. The series also includes pen & ink illustrations or proofs of illustrations drawn for the interiors of children's books not issued under these two imprints.

The Anthology Series Series contains illustrations for ten stories published in ten separate volumes of Best in Children's Books, an anthology series published by Doubleday between 1959 and 1961. The material is arranged alphabetically by title of story.

The Unverified Books Series includes a pencil illustration, illustration proofs, a dust jacket, and dust jacket production material for four books published probably in the 1960s. The books are classified as unverified because the names of authors, the names of translators, or publisher information were gleaned from the dust jacket material or notes written on the reverse of illustrations. The lack of Library of Congress records for these titles casts doubt on the facts of their ultimate publication. The material in the series is arranged alphabetically by title and the material for each book is arranged chronologically in order of creation when known.

The Christmas Card Series contains a pen & ink illustration and printed card for the de
Grummond Children's Literature Collection Christmas card designed by Robin Jacques in 1972.

Restrictions on Use

Noncirculating; available for research.

Copyright Restrictions

The collection is protected by the Copyright Law of the United
States (Title 17, U.S. Code). Reproductions can be made only if they are to be
used for "private study, scholarship, or research." It is the user's
responsibility to verify copyright ownership and to obtain all necessary
permissions prior to the reproduction, publication, or other use of any portion
of these materials, other than that noted above.